Schoenvorts, their engagement having been arranged by her aunt for

social reasons.

That was the happiest evening of my life; nor ever do I expect

to experience its like; but at last, as is the way of happiness,

it terminated. We descended to the compound, and I walked with Lys

to the door of her quarters. There again she kissed me and bade

me good night, and then she went in and closed the door.

I went to my own room, and there I sat by the light of one of the

crude candles we had made from the tallow of the beasts we had

killed, and lived over the events of the evening. At last I

turned in and fell asleep, dreaming happy dreams and planning for

the future, for even in savage Caspak I was bound to make my girl

safe and happy. It was daylight when I awoke. Wilson, who was

acting as cook, was up and astir at his duties in the cook-house.

The others slept; but I arose and followed by Nobs went down to

the stream for a plunge. As was our custom, I went armed with

both rifle and revolver; but I stripped and had my swim without

further disturbance than the approach of a large hyena, a number

of which occupied caves in the sand-stone cliffs north of the camp.

These brutes are enormous and exceedingly ferocious. I imagine

they correspond with the cave-hyena of prehistoric times.

This fellow charged Nobs, whose Capronian experiences had taught

him that discretion is the better part of valor--with the result

that he dived head foremost into the stream beside me after giving

vent to a series of ferocious growls which had no more effect upon

Hyaena spelaeus than might a sweet smile upon an enraged tusker.

Afterward I shot the beast, and Nobs had a feast while I dressed,

for he had become quite a raw-meat eater during our numerous

hunting

expeditions, upon which we always gave him a portion of the kill.

Whitely and Olson were up and dressed when we returned, and we

all sat down to a good breakfast. I could not but wonder at Lys'

absence from the table, for she had always been one of the

earliest risers in camp; so about nine o'clock, becoming

apprehensive lest she might be indisposed, I went to the door of

her room and knocked. I received no response, though I finally

pounded with all my strength; then I turned the knob and entered,

only to find that she was not there. Her bed had been occupied,

and her clothing lay where she had placed it the previous night

upon retiring; but Lys was gone. To say that I was distracted

with terror would be to put it mildly. Though I knew she could